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Battling History

Manuel Chaves was a Civil War hero who also killed and enslaved Native Americans. A group dedicated to reviving his memory recently tried to erect a plaque in his honor at Pecos National Historic Park, near Santa Fe. This was where Chaves helped lead a band of volunteers and the Union army to victory in the Battle of Glorieta Pass, which some historians call “the Gettysburg of the West.” But when details emerged of Chaves’ raids on Native American camps, the National Park Service cancelled the plaque. I wrote about Chaves and his complicated legacy for National Parks Magazine.

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We were high in the Canadian rockies, clambering over rocks and snowfields, hopped up on endorphins and the scenic beauty around us. Nothing could get us down. And then my 4-year-old left his favorite stuffed animal on the mountain. I wrote this essay for Outside describing what happened next.

Years ago, my father-in-law noticed a flower he liked along the Clark Fork River in Missoula. He took a cutting of it to plant in his rock garden. Later, when he noticed the flower no longer grew in its original location, he took another cutting and re-planted it.

Photo by Brad Torchia Three weeks after my wife gave birth to our second child, we rented a VW Westfalia, loaded up the family, and drove around Western Montana for this story for Hemispheres, United’s inflight magazine. The story is called Three Perfect Days in Montana, and features some wonderful pictures by Brad Torchia. It…